MESHGuides

Researchers at the University of Cambridge (UK) have developed and trialed an extensive resource that supports teachers in conducting their own inquiry into Classroom Dialogue. For further information about this trial and the associated resources please see the website:

www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/tseda/

Reference

Alexander R (2017) Towards Dialogic Teaching: Rethinking Classroom Talk. Thirsk: Dialogos.

Berry, R.A.W. (2006). Teacher talk during whole-class lessons: Engagement strategies to support the verbal participation of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 21, 211–232.

Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. & Wiliam, D. (2002) Working Inside the Black Box: assessment for learning in the classroom. London, King's College School of Education.

Dawes (2008, p.5-6) has identified some ‘language tools’ that help children to use language to think together.

Different types of educationally effective talk in groups have been identified. Dawes, Fisher and Mercer (1992) first distinguished between ‘exploratory’, ‘cumulative’ and ‘disputational’ talk. Exploratory talk, which is similar to the concept of ‘accountable talk’ developed in the United States (Wolf, Crosson & Resnick, 2006), has been judged to be the most educationally effective type of talk in groups (Littleton & Mercer, 2013). Exploratory talk may be defined as talk in which:

For further information about developing strategies that promote Classroom Dialogue and links to resources for use in mathematics and science (primary and secondary), please visit the ORBIT website:

http://oer.educ.cam.ac.uk/wiki/Teaching_Approaches/Dialogue

Students can be encouraged to reflect on how well they, and their group, are doing when using the ground rules for talk using the Thinking Together ‘Talk Tally’ (Dawes, 2010). This could form part of an Assessment for Learning activity in which students award themselves and/or their group ‘two stars and a wish’ to identify what they are currently doing well and what they might do next time to improve:

Different types of talk have been identified in the classroom, some of which are more educationally effective than others. ‘Monologic’ talk is dominated by the teacher and is exemplified by an Initiation-Response-Feedback’ (IRF) pattern. The IRF pattern, which may be repeated several times during whole-class teaching, is typified by the teacher asking a closed question (initiation), a child answering (response) and the teacher offering feedback on that answer (feedback).

The University of Oslo (Norway) and the University of Cambridge are currently developing resources to support teachers developing their dialogic classroom pedagogy and use of digital technology. Their international research project focuses on the use of a free, web-based microblogging tool called ‘Talkwall’. Talkwall has been developed to enhance, and possibly transform, classroom interactions by encouraging genuine ‘thinking together’, as students are easily able to share, and build upon, each other’s ideas.